How to Install and Use a Santa Fe Dehumidifier (No Ducts? No Problem!)

In this video, I’ll guide you, step-by-step, through a DIY process of improving your indoor air quality with dehumidification. First, I’ll talk about how humidity can impact indoor air quality and health. Then, I’ll help you figure out if and when you need to run a dehumidifier. Then I’ll guide you through the process of setting up a high quality dehumidifier yourself.
I'll teach you how to install a Santa Fe Compact70 (that comes with a MERV-13 filter). I use it to dehumidify my 1489 sq ft 2 floor condo that has NO DUCTED HVAC SYSTEM. How do I do it? Air circulation.
Why Dehumidifying Is Important:
Intro - 0:00
Health impacts of elevated indoor humidity (hint: Mold illness) - 0:53
ASHRAE's guidelines on humidity THRESHOLD - 1:27
What is dew point? - 2:12
WHY YOU NEED TO STOP USING RELATIVE HUMIDITY (intro to psychrometrics) - 2:30
Dew point scale - 6:41
Why 60F (16C) as a DPT threshold? CONDENSATION - 6:56
SORPTION: another way homes get damp - 8:21
VOCs and humidity - 9:31
How to Determine Whether You Need to Dehumidify:
How to measure humidity in your home (hygrometer) - 9:51
How to use an app to figure out dew point - 10:12
When to dehumidify (THRESHOLDS) - 10:35
What Type of Dehumidifier to Get:
Compressor (refrigerant) vs. Desiccant - 11:42
What Situations this Installation Method is for:
Millions of homes in the US alone don't have ducts - 12:15
Other situations (apartments!) - 14:29
How to Install a Santa Fe Compact70:
How to pick the right location for your dehumidifier - 14:48
How to set up the dehumidifier and condensate pump - 16:36
How to set up AIR CIRCULATION FANS - 23:25
The LIMITATIONS of this setup - 24:06
Products I recommended:
-Santa Fe Compact70 Dehumidifier: amzn.to/452YmUC
-Condensate Pump: amzn.to/4ccTGhl
-6" risers: amzn.to/4aE4NOQ
-Hygrometer: amzn.to/44X0oW0
Above are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. This helps support the channel at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Change the Air Foundation (MOLD ILLNESS STORIES):
changetheairfoundation.org/
ASHRAE Damp Buildings, Human Health and HVAC Design article:
www.ashrae.org/file%20library...
ASHRAE’s position on indoor mold:
www.ashrae.org/file%20library...
Dr. Allison Bailes’ “Cold air is dry air” article:
www.energyvanguard.com/blog/c...
Dr. Allison Bailes’ “Can you get condensation on a sponge” article:
www.energyvanguard.com/blog/c...
EIA - Air conditioning equipment in U.S. homes by state:
www.eia.gov/consumption/resid...
EIA - Figure 2 about whether homes were built with central ducting by year built:
www.eia.gov/consumption/resid...
Please go ahead and like this video, subscribe, and comment, because it causes the KZbin algorithm to swing its omnipotent gaze to my channel.
Donate to my channel here: www.buymeacoffee.com/healthyh...

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Hi everyone! Here are a couple helpful tips I forgot to mention in the video: -To level your dehumidifier, you can use a leveling app on your smart phone. On iPhones, the leveling app that comes with your phone is called "Measure." -Ceiling fans are also an effective way of circulating air when dehumidifying. If you want to learn more about humidification (in cold seasons), check out this video of mine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6ecnmyLfduVhLM

[@CNile-se9xw]

We live in South Australia & built our home in 1975. I used to be extremely cold tolerant, dressing lightly even in winter, but it I really suffered in summer, so air conditioning was a top priority. We preferred reverse cycle over evaporative because we didn't want to be blasted with air or have to leave windows open. I took on the task of installing a fully ducted 3 phase system & that worked quite well, but after 20 years it was getting tired. We were better off financially by then, so we had professionals replace the system completely. No more rigid (pain in the butt to install) ductwork & the newer reverse cycle unit was a lot quieter & more efficient. All was good for another 20ish years until the main electronics board in the outside unit failed. Parts weren't available for our old model & long story short, the whole system was again replaced, this time with an even more efficient inverter technology & highest quality ducting. Our home will be 50 years old next year, so the overall expense of air con upgrades has been spread out & totally justified. I am obviously 50 years older & done a complete backflip on temperature tolerances. I feel the cold like a newborn in an ice bucket, so now, instead of making my wife swelter for my comfort, I wear down puffer jackets & a pair of 2nd hand vintage Eddy Bauer goose down pants to keep my thighs warm. Electricity prices are steadily rising, so this video has inspired me to maybe follow your suggestion of running a larger centrally located dehumidifier & run an inline transfer duct to the ensuite. My wife is constantly dusting & vacuuming, yet dust settles everywhere, so I might knock up one of your brilliant air filters, when time permits.

[@NurseAcrobat]

In North Carolina (humid southeastern US), the house I grew up in still has a wood stove for primary heat with electrical resistance wall heaters for backup. For cooling we had a window AC in the living room and eventually my parents added one to the kitchen and their bedroom. My current house has a central ducted heat pump and I have a standalone Santa Fe Advance 90 in the encapsulated crawl space along with an in-wall Santa Fe MD33 on the first floor, plus 3 standalone HEPA filters in various parts of the house. Having ductwork gives me the option of having a dehumidifier and/or ERV either be integrated into that ductwork or operate separately. It seems to often be ideal to have everything operate separately so various fans aren't competing with each other, but there is only so much room for ducting everything. At least with a dehumidifier the humidity can eventually stabilize throughout the house if air is circulating. Were I to do it again I think I'd attach a dehumidifier to the supply ductwork with a separate return, add a 50cfm air supply to the crawl space and attic, and skip the MD33 since it cost about as much as the Advance 90 without the same filtration and with it being in a living area the MD33 is noisier despite being lower capacity. I'm currently considering ducting the Advance 90 and having it run on a low enough humidity setting that the MD33 runs less often, and either have fresh air come in via the dehumidifier or have a Broan ERV that either works with the current ductwork or have it in the attic and just getting air from two bathrooms and supplying it to either the 3 bedrooms or the hallway, near one of the two HVAC returns. Soon I'll be installing Tamarack Perfect Balance Return Air Pathways in the bedroom doors to help equalize pressure and improve air circulation.

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Fascinating, thank you! Your comments are always informative. I think other viewers will get inspiration from them.

[@randyo308]

Wow great information right on time. I’m very aware of issues related to high humidity and monitor/remediate with hvac and standalone compressor type dehumidifier being in the Deep South very big issue. So you’ve completely educated me on dewpoint vs RH. I’m excited because recently installed a new outdoor weather station with indoor console. The new console has an indoor dewpoint measurement yay!! Until today I was wondering why it has this lol. Definitely answered questions. Once my downstairs dehumidifier wasn’t collecting water as I thought it should. I know why now!! Thanks so much for the information.

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Comments like yours make the process of making these detailed videos worth it! So glad I could help you better understand dewpoint vs. RH.

[@larryseibold4287]

A wealth of good information in this video. I am totally on board with wanting to use dew point (DP) vs RH in most normal conversation etc. I don't want to be picky, but it might be informative to clarify that warm air can hold more water than cold air, not just that it is easer to do so. The common rule of thumb is that the moisture holding capacity of saturated air doubles for every 20°F increase in DB temperature (lbs H2O /lb of dry air).

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

I’m glad you found it to be educational! I believe the example I presented at 5:32 elucidates the concept you’re referring to. Interestingly, it’s a very common misconception (even among well-informed people) that warm air has a greater capacity for holding water vapor than cold air. It’s actually that water evaporates more readily when the ambient temp is higher, causing more water vapor to be in the air. I make this distinction in my newer video about humidification 🙂 That video probably has the more direct warm air=more humid air explanation that you wanted to hear.

[@DK-vx5co]

Really good.

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Glad you like it!

[@ionut2v]

Iași, Romania. No ducting in my aprox. 14 year old home, and centralized ventilation is almost not heard of over here. Not even in brand new homes. Only buyers that really do research before buying or building come across the topic.

[@ionut2v]

Ive been inspired by your videos as I’ve been researching HRVs lately, and want to build my own in spring or summer of ‘24. Love your content!

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

It makes to happy to hear that my content has inspired you! I wish you well on your projects! Thank you for commenting about the lack of ducts in Romania. That’s interesting to know that even brand new homes tend not to have them.

[@jameslotech4996]

No ducting. Auckland. NZ. Not common here

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Thank you for commenting! I suspected not.

[@garlicbrad411]

Boston MA, living in a renovated apartment building, we have central air. But we still deal with dust and odors! I don't know if you have any tips for those but thanks for all your informative videos!

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

You’re in luck, my friend! -My video about how to make an air purifier that’s quite effective at reducing dust: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gamznGuvhK1gsJYsi=N2K1CnwycExsz-QN -My video about ventilation, which is the best way to reduce odors (VOCs): kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZ-vqH2ueMernK8si=UCyxHw__1aJFfOhe If you’re not into these DIY approaches, AustinAir makes great air purifiers for reducing dust and other particulate matter. They also help reduce odors (though not as effectively as ventilation). Another thing that helps with dust (and smaller particulate matter) is using a HEPA vacuum. Let me know if you have other questions. Thanks for watching.

[@christopherjohnson9001]

Ducts, central HVAC, ceiling fans, no dehumidifier. North Central Texas home built in the 90’s.

[@curtisservaas3748]

I was thinking of just getting a cheaper dehumidifier on Amazon. You're saying the main problem with these dehumidifiers is that they start to accumulate mold because they don't have MERV filters. Could you elaborate on this? Do you think it might be effective to just put a cheap dehumidifier next to a HEPA filter?

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

There are a few issues with cheaper dehumidifiers, but the two worst issues are: 1) The filters in them are very weak. They’re designed to protect the dehumidifier, but not your lungs. They’re just strong enough to protect the dehumidifier condenser from dust buildup without taxing the cheaper fan/motor inside. These filters have a very low MERV rating (sometimes MERV-2) and thus, aren’t designed to capture mold spores and smaller particles (which can serve as food to mold spores). Cheap dehumidifiers will therefore likely develop a mold infestation over time. Santa Fe dehumidifiers have a MERV-13 filter, which captures particles (including mold spores) much more efficiently. These dehumidifiers are designed more robustly to handle the MERV-13 filters. 2.) Cheaper dehumidifiers are typically not capable of removing enough water from the air to appreciably lower the humidity in a very large area of your home. They’re also not really designed for continuous use for multiple months straight. They’re not nearly as energy efficient either. As for running an air purifier near a cheap dehumidifier, it would certainly help, but some mold spores would still likely get sucked in and eventually cause issues. Especially if humidity in your home was still high.

[@curiousmind1991]

@HealthyhHomeGuide I live in Romania in an 65square meter apartament built in 2017. I don't have any duct unfortunately and I'm pretty sure ducted systems are not the norm in most places in Europe for residential apartment buildings. Such a pity..

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

It is a pity. Thanks for your response!

[@leodannyportal]

Very good video but you forgot to mention the a "Compressor Dehumidifier" adds a ton of heat in the room and consequently increases indoor temperature - a window A/C unit is most cost effect in the long run especially during the summer as it both cools and dehumidify a space or a whole house. Compressor Dehumidifiers also don't do a good job to dehumidify a space below 53°F. as their coils will freeze up and struggle to get the job done, at which point a Desiccant Dehumidifiers would be better utilized over a Compressor Dehumidifier. I understand your use of fans was to move the air up to the 2nd floor but you probably only need one fan as humidity levels it's self out throughout a home without much effort, however, I'm sure you accelerated the process to dehumidify your 2nd floor faster with the extra fans. Good job overall, keep in mind using a dehumidifier in the bathrooms and in the kitchen are the best places to dramatically reduce indoor humidity along with ceiling fans.

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Thanks for your comment! Please see 24:52, where I mentioned window AC units being helpful when it’s hot, and that compressor dehumidifiers raise air temperature. I did also mention the difference between compressors vs. desiccants at 11:42. As for the fans, I tested using fewer fans, and it didn’t work well enough. I needed the amount you saw in the video in order to dehumidify the whole house effectively. Lastly, you’re absolutely right about bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans. Thanks for watching 🙂

[@thaitichi]

No ducts. NYC

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Thanks! I imagine most apartments in NYC don’t have ducts.

[@elberthardy961]

My home has a ducted system but I'm sure it's full of mold and previously alive rat bodies!

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Great point! Not only that, but many ducted systems aren’t built to handle additional airflow from a dehumidifier, and would need to be redesigned to support one.

[@Mike-20193]

Funny that they would name it a "Santa Fe" dehumidifier. Santa Fe in reality is one of the last places on earth that you would want to use a dehumidifier.

[@HealthyHomeGuide]

Haha. I think the idea is the Santa Fe dehumidifiers can make your house "as dry as Santa Fe" or something like that haha

[@Mike-20193]

@@HealthyHomeGuide I can see that I guess 😕